諸經要集 2.29

2.29

Furthermore, the Xianyu jing says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, in the country of Śrāvastī there was the elder Sudatta. He had faithful reverence for the Buddha-Dharma and acted as a dānapati to the saṃgha, supplying everything the saṃgha needed. Within Sudatta's household there were two parrots: one was named Luti, and the other was named Sheluti. By nature they were clever and intelligent, and they understood human speech. When they saw bhikṣus coming, they would first inform the household so that they would come out to welcome them. Later, Ānanda came to the elder's house. Seeing that the birds were intelligent and clever, he explained the four truths to them: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the path. In front of the gate there was a tree; the two birds, having heard the Dharma, flew up into the tree, joyfully reciting and retaining it. Staying the night in the tree, they were eaten by a wild cat. By virtue of these wholesome roots, they were born in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. Exhausting their lifespans in that heaven, they were born in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; when their lifespans in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven were exhausted, they were born in Yāma Heaven; when their lifespans in Yāma Heaven were exhausted, they were born in Tuṣita Heaven; when their lifespans in Tuṣita Heaven were exhausted, they were born in Nirmāṇarati Heaven; when their lifespans in Nirmāṇarati Heaven were exhausted, they were born in the sixth heaven, Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven. When their lifespans in Paranirmitavaśavartin were exhausted, they were reborn in Nirmāṇarati Heaven. In this order they repeatedly descended all the way back down to the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. When their lifespans in the Four Heavens were exhausted, they repeatedly ascended back up to Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven. In this way they went up and down through seven cycles, born in the six desire heavens, freely enjoying pleasures, living out the full lifespans of the six heavens without untimely death. Later, when their lives ended, they were born among humans, left the home life to cultivate the path, and attained [the fruit of] pratyekabuddhas: one was named Damo (Dharma), and the other was named Xiudamo (Sudharma).